Chimney Corners made us feel welcome the second we walked in. My group of six bicycled here from Traverse City. The last part through a downpour. We arrived, prior to check in, wet, cold and thirsty. Patty met us at the front desk and promptly brought us towels, water and coffee. Then had housekeeping do our rooms next so we could shower and put on dry clothes. We had planned to bike to Frankfort later for dinner but the weather had other plans. Rocks Landing (good food see my other review) is a restaurant across the street affiliated with the resort. Unfortunately they only took walk-ins on their outside, un-covered patio, there were no reservations indoors and it was still raining. Patty called the chef and arranged for their first ever take out order. We even got a bottle of wine and had a delicious, private gourmet dinner in front of the original stone fireplace in the lodge. Outstanding hospitality. I will bicycle and stay here again. Oh and they let us spot an overnight bag at the resort so we didn't have to carry our clothes and toiletries on the bikes. read more

Chimney Corners Resort - The view from our room in the Lodge. - Resorts Near Me - Frankfort, Michigan

A little piece of heaven. Very clean, friendly staff. Historic home. Eat at Rock Landing, great food. read more

So super duper bummed that they eliminated beach dining. We used to hit this all the time for lunch. It was amazing with the best view in Northern Michigan. I shed real tears over this my friends. read more

Bbq is on Wed night and the more formal dinner is Friday night. You have to make reservations at least 24 hours in advance. It also has a guest lodge and several old wooden houses on and near the beach. The dinner on Friday is an absolute must. Locally sourced food: whitefish, beef, polenta with views overlooking crystal lake. Lake Como outside Milan has a restaurant that reminds me of this place. Great place to stop if you're on a bike tour of M22. read more

BEST...WEDDING...EVER! My wife and I conducted an exhaustive search of venues to host a wedding weekend experience for 30 of our closest family and friends. We fell in love with Crystal Lake after seeing it for the first time and knew we wanted to do it in the area. After chatting with some locals, a few advised us to check out Chimney Corners Resort. It was the best advice we received. The staff (Becky for Lodging and Lisa for Events) bent over backwards helping us craft the events and lodging for the weekend. The resort used to be an old ski resort, so if you're looking for that rustic escape on a stunningly gorgeous lake, this is it! We wanted to have our wedding sometime in September, and ended up going with the weekend following Labor Day (September 6, 2014). We avoided the peak season rates, but enjoyed the peak season weather and didn't have to book an entire week as you do during the peak season (which runs up to Labor Day). We held a BBQ / Rehearsal Dinner on Friday evening after canoeing with the crew during the day (at The Trading Post in Honor, MI). The ribs were insane, as Steve (Chef) and his team smoked them starting at 8am in the morning. We also had chicken, burgers and fresh-made black bean burgers for the vegetarians and pregnant ladies. The meal was exquisite! We then held our wedding ceremony on the Beach Dining Room Lawn on Saturday, followed by a sit-down dinner up in The Lodge Dining Room. We had beef tenderloin and half chicken options, both of which were incredible. Everything was sourced locally and fresh, and you just can't put a price on that. To give you a sense how good the meal was, our wedding party demanded that Steve (Chef) and his team come out to the dining room to receive a standing ovation. Overall, the culinary experience on the resort was far beyond our expectations - and very reasonably priced! We then partied the night away down on the Beach Dining Room Lawn on the shores of Crystal Lake. Some folks decided to hit the hay early, and all they had to do was walk across the street to their cottage. No one had to drive. No one had to worry. The late night crew enjoyed the fire pit and the stunning view of the moon on the lake. We'll always remember Chimney Corners Resort, and intend to make it a legacy destination for our family on an annual basis in the future. We want our children to witness the beauty of that place, and the people who run it. Not only will we be coming back, but a number of our guests who are within driving distance of Chimney Corners (most guests were from the Cleveland area - about a 5 hour drive) are all planning on bringing their families to Chimney Corners for vacations next summer. To us - that said everything about the experience! We could never recommend a better place to have your wedding. Who cares about convention - do it over a long weekend and enjoy time with those you care about most. Just engage the folks at Chimney Corners and they'll help you take care of the rest. Who knows - we may even see you there! --Brian & Kristine Noll read more

My partner and I agree that this has been our best lodging experience ever...and we're staying here in October without the dining options and other peak-season amenities. Our cottage, built into the bluffs overlooking beautiful Crystal Lske, is about as charming and cozy as we could hope to expect: attractively appointed, gas fireplace, hardwood floor, full kitchen, full bathroom, comfortable bedroom. There are numerous other cottages of varying sizes on the bluffs and across the street on the beachfront; also two sets of efficiency apartments with picture windows and patios overlooking the water, plus a restaurant-style dining hall beach side that's used for the resort's Friday night dinners and special events. The Lodge -- home to the office, eight sleeping rooms, a bedsitter apartment, a large dining room for breakfast in peak season and a lounge/ library, and the only place on premises with television and WiFii -- is beautiful inside. This is what "up north" vacationing used to be like before it was taken over by cookie-cutter corporate motels and soulless condominium complexes. When one of the staff asked me if I was enjoying myself I replied, "I not only like it here, I want to LIVE here." She smiled. "We hear that a lot." read more

THE BEST family ran resorts in the country. The resort is full of northern Michigan tradition, white sandy beaches, and the crystal clear waters of Crystal Lake! A must stay for anyone visiting north west Michigan! read more

Beautiful clean cozy place. Lawn bbq was excellent with wonderful sides. The landscape was wonderful and we had great weather. Very nice chef, staff and management. The reason for just two stars was due to the non-published smoking rule. First of all we were gone most of the day exploring on our honeymoon. Only there during dinner time and after. The second day we were there early evening and went and sat at the beach and the wind was blowing in my direction from where a women was standing about 30 yards away. She said the smoke was getting to her. How when the wind was blowing towards me? She said sorry knowing she was wrong and we gave her no problem and we put out our cigarettes. A snobby liberal Chicago person I believe. The next night was our last night as we were checking out at 10:00 am the next morning. We were sitting outside enjoying the lake view. Yes smoking way away from anyone else and the owner came over and said that she had multiple complaints that smoke was getting in the other cabin windows that were nowhere near us. She said sorry many times but asked if we could leave the property to smoke. Said this is more of a family resort and said she was aware it wasn't posted on the website or property there was no smoking. I paid around $800.00 to be told to leave to smoke. They only posted smoking signs were for the inside of the rooms/cabins. We left no butts or debris anywhere. We started packing, went to bed before sunset and left around 6:00 am I was so upset. Even left the room cleaner than when we arrived. What a way to spend your honeymoon. They seem to cater to the Illinois crowd instead of the native Michigan folks. Yes I know smoking isn't a great habit and I don't really smoke that much but I did notice that after the bbq there were a few men that had cigars. I guess that's classier. I probably waited to long to post this complaint but it's really been eating at me lately. I grew up every summer fishing with my dad on Lake MI for salmon and it was really important to me to go to this area. read more